Panel-board



J. CUTHBERT.

PANEL BOARD.

APPLICATION 'HLED OCT. I2, 1915. RENEWED MAY 3, I920.

Patented NW 30, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Nov. 30, .1920.

2 SHEETSSHEEYT 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CUTHIBERT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN CUTHBERT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION.

PANEL-BOARD.

Application filed October 12,1915, Serial No. 55,402.v Renewed May 3, 1920. Serial No. 378,651.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I JOHN CUTHBERT, a citizen of the United tates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Panel-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in panel boards for electric distribution clrcuits and has especial reference to composite boards of this character to be made up of a plurality of like sections or units and to the arrangement of the parts and to tile character of the units.

Some of the objects of my invention are to provide an improved panel board unit more compact in its organization; more easily'assembled and installed; cheaper in cost of construction, than are devices of like character heretofore known and generally used and which has all of its energizable parts entirely covered and protected by an overlying removable cover of insulating material.

Another object of my invention is to provide a panel board unit, of the character described, with a double-pole snap switch in a branch circuit thereof, the base of which is an integral part of the unit base.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide insulating supporting means to raise the insulating body, upon which the metal or electrical conducting portions of the unit are mounted, above the wall or board upon which the unit is to be secured, to provide wire receiving recesses thereunder, which recesses are parallel with the bus bars to which the units, of the component board, are

. to be connected.

'Other and further objects of my invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the panel, showing parts with the insulating cover removed.

on. line details of the switch con- 1 1 1g. 7 1s a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. l.

In all the vlews the same reference characters are employed to ndicate similar parts.

The insulating body or base portion of the device, or the porcelain block 10 in the particular exemplification, extends the full length and width of the unit, and when the unit is'intended for a three wire system of distribution it is provided with three transversely extending grooves 11, 12 and 13, for arallel bus bars, 14, 15 and 16, respectively. etween the bus bars 14 and 15 are depresslons 17 and 18 for fuse receptacles 19 and 20, respectively, and between the bars 15 and 16 are similar depressions for receptacles 21 and 22, respectively; These receptacles are of the usual screw shell constructlon, having a shell 23 and a central contact 24. 'The receptacles 18 and 19 are for one branch circuit, controlled by the snap switch 25. The receptacles 21 and 22 are for another branch circuit controlled by the switch 26. The switches 25 and 26 are of usual form and substantial duplicates and the receptacles on the one side of the neutral bus bar 15 and their connections, are substantially duplicated by those on the other side, the unit thus providing for two branch circuits, each having a controlling snap switch beyond the fuse plug.

In constructing my unit for two wire circuits, only one of the bus bars, on either side of the otherwise designated neutral bar 15, and the respective fuse plug receptacles and switch are all that will be necessary, the unit being correspondingly shorter, or without modification the bus bars 14 and 16 may be connected as a common terminal for one side of a two wire circuit, and the bar 15 may be connected to. the other side.

Each of the fuse plug receptacles is provided with a relatively long angular connector 27 secured to the central contact screw 24 by the nut 24' and extending through a depression or recess 28 in the bottom surface of the block 10 and vertically as at 27 in a similar depression, substantially equal to the width and thickness of the connector 27 and terminating with a forwardlyextending lip 29, which serves as a switch blade for the switch 25 or 26. The lips 29 extend toward the switches, on each side of :the unit, for cotiperation with the movable walkingbeam switch lever 30 operable by the push I buttons 31 and 32. Each of the fuse receptacles is also provided with an angular connector 33. The upturned portion of the connector 33 rests upon the flange 23 of the shell 23, being bored rather large so as to clear the screw 24, as at 34, and being held in contact with the flange 23 by means of the central contact screw. portion of the connector 33 is connected to a bus bar, 14, 15 or 16, as the case may be, by means of a screw 35, taking through the bar and through a similar connector on the opposite side of the bar when two connectors, one on each side, are connected with the neutral or central bus bar. The connector 33, of the associate receptacles is then connected to the opposite plus and minus bus bars. The receptacle 19 has its connector 33 connected with the bus bar 14, while the associate receptacle 18 has its connector 33 connected to the neutral bus bar 15, and in like manner the connectors 21 and 22 are connected to the respective bus bars. A terminal plate 36, for the switches 25 and 26, is secured in a depression in the block 10 and held in place by a screw 37. The plate 36 is provided with a downturned lip 39 serving as a switch blade for cooperationwiththe switch lever 30 and the lip 29. The plate 36 is perforated, as at 40, for insertion of a branch circuit wire 41 and the terminal binding screw 42, preferably such as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 35,064, filed June 19th, 1915, and which perforation registers with a recess 43 made in the block 10, whereby the wire may be inserted into proper relation with the binding screw 42, by which it may be coiled around the shank thereof, and thereby held firmly in contact with the plate 36, which is an integral part of the switch blade lip 39.

To provide for a larger number of branch circuits than two, it is only necessary to add another switch unit, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, and. connect the same to the bus bars 14, 15 and 16, in the same manner as the said unit is shown to be connected thereto. Provision can thus be made for any desired number of branch circuits on a given panel.

The units for a given size panelare con- I nected to a board or plate preferably a steel plate 45, by means of screws 46, of which there may be two or more, one at each end of each unit, as shown in Fig. 1.

All of the condubting parts of the entire unit may be inclosed by a cover 48 perforated for the fuse plug 49 and for the switch push buttons 31 and 32.

The cover has preferably downturned end flanges 49 and 50. These flanges rest upon the upper surface of the block 10. The cover 48 is also preferably provided with three parallel flanges 51, 52 and 53 that lie The upturned.

in the grooves 11, 12 and 13, respectively.

' The cover 48 incloses all of the energizable .is held in elevated position by means of integral posts 56, 57 through which attaching screws may pass, as shown, and side posts 58 and 59, thereby to provide wire receiving channels under the receptacles of the unit and between the posts 58 and 59 and the downward end projections 60 and 61, of the unit.

It is manifest that switches other than push button switches may be employed in the construction of my unit and other fuse receptacles may be used without material change and it is equally apparent that the units may be designed and used for a two Wire distribution system, instead of a three wire system, as shown, inwhich event only one switch, either switch 25 or 26 will be employed and only two bus bars, either 14 or 16 in connection with the central bus bar 15 would be necessary and it furthermore may be understood that other changes in the arrangement and disposition and general configuration of the. parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims and without departing from the spirit of my in vention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A branch-circuit panel-unit compris ing a base blockgrooved to receive three bus bars; a fuse receptacle in said block, below its face and between adjacent grooves; a switch for connection with said fuse receptacle having operating means extending upwardly therefrom; branch circuit terminals connected to said switch, and a removable insulating cover overlying said fuse grooves, bus-bar receptacle, switch and branch circuit terminals and having perforations registering with said fuse receptacle and another perforation to receive said switch operating means whereby to insulate and protect all conducting parts of the unit from contact therewith.

2. A branch-circuit panel unit comprising a base block having grooves to receive a plurality of bus-bars below its face; a pluralit of fuse receptacles in said block below its ace and between adjacent rooves; a switch for connection with eac pair of fuse receptacles, each switch having operating means extending upwardly therefrom; branch circuit terminals mounted on said block and a removable, insulating cover overlying said fuse receptacles, bus bar grooves switches and branch-circu t terminals and having perforations registering with the fuse receptacles, whereby to insert the fuses without removing the cover, and

other perforations to receive the switch-opcrating means. 4

3. In a branch circuit panel unit a base having three parallel spaced-apart transversely extending grooves within which to receive bus bars and two switch receiving extensions, one beyond each of the outside grooves; two pairs of depressions within which to receive lamp holding conductors, said depressions located between adjacent grooves so as to position a bus bar on each side of each receptacle.

.4. In a branch circuit panel unit, a base having three parallel spaced apart transversely extending grooves within which to receive bus bars and two switch-receiving extensions, one beyond each of the outside grooves; two pairs of depressions, within which to receive lamp-holding conductors, said depressions located between adjacent grooves so as to position a bus bar on each side of each receptacle anda suitably perforated cover of insulating material for overlying the top surface of the base and extending down the ends thereof.

'5. In a branch circuit panel unit, a base having three parallel spaced apart transversely extending grooves within which to receive bus bars and two switch receiving which to insert branch wires for connection to the switches.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CUTHBERT.

, In the presence of- MARY F. ALLEN, Fomin BAIN. 

